Born on March
29th, 1946 in New York, NYC teacher turned comedian Dennis Wolfberg brought to life
the character of Gooshie in Quantum Leap. From the pilot episode "Genesis" to
the series finale "Mirror Image," Wolfberg became one of the most well-loved
characters from the series.

Dennis'
acting and writing credits include 5 episodes of Quantum Leap, 1 movie, appearances with
both Johnny Carson and David Letterman, as well as 2 short television spots during the
late 1980's. Below is a filmography of Dennis Wolfberg.

Where did Wolfberg
get his look? Well, his famous bug-eyed facial contortions were his own, but he was know
to visit Riquette Hofstein, who does private beauty consultations at her Beverly Hills clinic, Riquette
International. Her star-studded clientele includes celebrities such as Ally Sheedy, Joan
Van Ark, David Hasselhoff, Elizabeth McGovern, Morgan Fairchild, and comedian Dennis
Wolfberg, as well as studio executives, doctors and attorneys. Source

During his stand-up comic days, Dennis became
well-known for many of his original quotes and bits. From the Improv to "The Tonight
Show," Wolfberg loved to entertain the crowds. We have a hilarious six-minute sound
clip of one of Wolfberg's comedy routines titled "Teaching Kids," plus a
27-minute routine from Rascal's Comedy Club! These clips are 'Al's Place-rated' PG-13
and is not for young children's ears. If you have any information that would be
useful on this page, please send it in!

The
following exerpts are quotes by Dennis from many of the venues he played during this
fantastic career.

"She was 102. She didn't have wrinkles,
she had pleats ... There's one advantage to being 102. There's no peer pressure." Source

"We
delivered our child via natural childbirth, the procedure invented by a man named
Lamaze--the Marquis de Lamaze, a disciple of Dr. Josef Mengele, who concluded that women
could counteract the incredible pain of childbirth through breathing. I think we can all
agree that breathing is a reasonable substitute for anesthesia. That's like asking a man
to tolerate a vasectomy by hyperventilating. Lamaze expects the husband--me--to be there,
so that I can witness this festivity. I did not want to be there. This was remarkably
painful for my wife. There was nothing my presence could really do to relieve her pain. In
other words, I didn't see why my evening should be ruined too." Source

"I had to go
to analysis. They told me I had an unresolved Oedipus complex, which, according to them,
meant I want to sleep with my mother. Which is preposterous. My father doesnt even
want to sleep with my mother."Source

"If
we had a girl, my wife wanted to call her "Sue" -- a lovely name, but which for
Jews is generally a verb." Source

"What they put
women through today when they're having a baby! They don't want to medicate them, as
compared to previous generations. When my mom had me, she had so much medication, she
didn't wake up till I was 7."Source

Your
post reminded me of a joke by Dennis Wolfberg - he was talking about what doctors mean
when they say "You might experience some discomfort." His response was
"Saying that I might experience discomfort is some what akin to telling someone in
the path of a tidal wave they might experience moisture." Source

Dennis Wolfberg (who used to
refer to Gooshie as "the Gooshmeister") was once promised that if there was any
more Quantum Leap after "Mirror Image," he would be allowed to contribute
his own dialogue for the role in future appearances. Unfortunately, that cannot happen
now, because Dennis died on October 3, 1994 in Culver City, California after a two-year
battle with melanoma cancer. He is sorely missed. Source

Obituary for Dennis Wolfberg

Dennis Wolfberg, the stand-up comedian who
played the "little guy with bad breath" Gooshie, died of cancer on Monday,
October 3, 1994. The following is his obituary as it appeared in Daily Variety.

Daily Variety

October 4, 1994
by Thomas Walsh

Dennis Wolfberg, 48, whose facial contortions
and slice-of-life standup style brought him wide recognition on the national comedy
ciruit, died of cancer Monday at his home in Culver City.

Wolfberg became a fixture on "The
Tonight Show" and starred in an HBO special in early 1992. He also had a recurring
role as a strange scientist on NBC's "Quantum Leap," and in April 1993
"Entertainment Tonight" aired "A Day in the Life of Dennis Wolfberg,"
focusing on his relentless touring schedule.

He appeared at clubs in Washington, Denver,
Chicago, Boston, Florida and New York, and a representative said he was twice named
America's top male comic in votes by clubgoers and owners nationwide. In 1990 he won an
American Comedy Award as best male standup.

Born in Long Island, N.Y., Wolfberg taught
sixth-grade students for 12 years in the South Bronx before leaving for a full-time comedy
career in 1979. Though he battled cancer for at least two years, he continued to work
through the end of August. At the time of his death, he was negotiating a deal for his own
TV show.

Wolfberg is survived by his wife, Jeannie,
who's also a comic, and three sons.

A service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday
at Hillside Memorial Cememtary. Source

If you have any additional
pictures or information related to Dennis Wolfberg or his career, please send it to us. We would love to add
it to this page in memory of one of our favorite characters and actors.

*The above information was
in part found on many internet sites. Credit is given next to each exerpt borrowed from
another website.